个人陈述（PS）是留学文书中最能展现个人能力的部分，写是写作的难点。与其他文书不同，个人陈述中没有规定要写什么内容，可以根据自身的想法进行安排。也正是因为写作比较自由，很多同学一不小心就“玩大了”，引起了招生官的反感，进而影响申请结果。那么个人陈述怎么写才合适呢？一起来看看吧。
1.深入研究申请学校
研究你所申请的学校。大部分学校会在 admission page上提供校方对申请者的要求。充分了解该所学校, 你愈可能写好你的PS，以此证明你对该所学校确实十分地感兴趣。你得花费功夫给读信者一种印象：你花了更多的时间使自己对该所学校了解得比其他的申请者更透彻，这些特别功夫使读信人对你的勤奋，专心致志和对该院系的兴趣有着十分良好的印象。这些特别了解和信息不必在每字之间中提出，也无须特别夸张其辞，你的陈述只需包含足够的信息使人留下你做了特别努力的印象即可。
由于学校的类型以及所选学校的威望，录取委员会将会阅读每年至少上千份文书，为了让你的文章有说服力，令人难忘和个性突出，在回答特定问题时，请保留在概括性问题答案中提及的一些细节，让你总结性的陈述成为一个包容万知的文档，给入学委员会留下一个印象：你比你所陈述的更有内涵。
在申请文档中避免不同部分之间的冗长重复，不要只在行文间陈述你的平均绩点和课程，这些东西在申请中是会被予以与其它部分相当的重视，然而如果你认为平均 绩点和课程有所需解释之处则不妨多写一些，比如说，你可以讲明某一些平均绩点的不定是因为生病或是家庭问题所致，除了这些情况，千万别为你的分数找理由， 入学委员会每年都要读过成百上千个这样的理由。
2. 合理安排个人陈述的长度
一般来说一篇留学个人陈述的正常长度为600—800英文单词，而相当多的中国留学申请人的留学个人陈述超长。很多留学申请人试图把自己的方方面面的优 点和成绩展示出来，但个人陈述不是简历的详细补充，许多信息可以通过其它文件展示，(如学习成绩等)。美国大学的招生人员曾谈到：在留学申请旺季时，面对 堆堆积如山的文件，一般他们审查一个留学个人陈述的时间只有2至3分钟，那种长篇大论类的留学个人陈述只能让人心生厌烦。
3.要突出重点，主线明确
如果个人陈述写作得当，可以很大程度的提高申请者获得录取和奖学金的几率。这对申请者来说是一个绝好的机会。标准化分数、高中成绩绩点、竞赛获奖经历、课外活动参加和获奖情况，已在个人简历和common系统的表格里全涵盖了。很多申请者对个人陈述往往敷衍了事，殊不知，美国大学招生官平均每天要看 20-40个学生的申请文书，文章超过100篇。如果个人陈述内容过于贫乏、逻辑没有主次、语法甚至错误连篇，那么你的申请有很大几率会失败。切记，申请 文书体现的是自身素质能力和性格闪光点，突出重点，主线明确，清楚有力地表达求学动机，和学习学术能力。文书是要在很短的时间内，清楚地用几百字告诉招生 教授你是入学(奖学金)非常合格的人选。
4. 结构要简单
在个人陈述写作上，重点放在学术或专业兴趣及背景，研究经验和工作经历以及未来的职业目标等可以体现申请者能力的方面。语言流畅，且文章逻辑严谨，衔接紧密，层次分明，能充分显示申请人的才华并抓住审阅人的注意力。一篇好的申请文书要求申请人能够用一种与其他申请人完全不同的方式，巧妙地展现自己的独特个性和 经验。制作自述要花大量的精力，决不能草率从事。必须静下心来，有条不紊的处理多种文件，这其中自述是重中之重。
5. 牢记写作目标
在一篇个人陈述中介绍自己可以有着不同的形式格局- 就像每个人讲话一样风格不拘。然而，一篇成功的个人陈述，是一种比较有针对性的自我介绍，聚焦于申请表格提出的两个问题回答"我是谁"，"我能提供些什么"，成功的陈述从未偏离 过这两个主题介绍自身，描述你作为有竞争力候选者的潜能。
因此，将个人经历中涉及主题的主要成就，转折点和大事件必须相应地着重突出，分析你的个人简历，个人历史和记忆，将生涯中决定性事件单独突出。
一旦你找齐你的个人信息，为你的文章陈述找到一个框架，你已准备好了，可以动手写了，在此过程的一个要素是选择特定的观点角度来陈述你的资料，当然，你的选择有赖于多来年你所养成的特殊风格。
第一人称叙事 这是最基本最常见的方式，"我"字频频使用，对大部分体裁，它都可能用专业学校和研究生院经常使用此方法，因其直接切入主题，这种方法最大的危险在于你如 果不改变句型就极易使读者厌烦，别在通篇文章中给描述语前面加上主语，改变它们的词序，注意词语句子长度，改变文章的面貌和笔感。
第二人称叙事 使用"你"字，这种方法极少见但地读者和作者之间建立心灵交流却有关键作用，通常在讲述故事的体裁中使用，其不足之处在于读者会觉得过于私人性质，交浅言深。
6.做好开头部分的设计
在你整个文章中你的总括性段落是关键的，这是你捉住读者注意的 机会，吸引他们关注地阅读你的文章，慢慢来，别着急，可以尝试各种展示你优点的其它方式。好的开场自吸引读者使他们投入你的文章，驱动他们细细地阅读你的个人故事，总括性段落的末了得有个小结承上启下，但是记得不要只写一个小结，要戏剧化地。带出你的下文，原则上，你的简介必须是所述内容的激动人心的梗概。
主体文章： 让人明白你要传达的讯息主要段落必须包含你按照年代顺序或重要程度排列的事件，经历和活动你可以自由地发挥你认为值得重视的成就，可以写得特定而详细，告 诉读者你值得被录取，让他们知道在申请入学的一班人马中，你在某一方面不仅合格而且大大高于其他人的水准，注意：不要显得拖沓，每个段落必须包含一个单独 的主题，并加以评述，你的结束段必须以积极的口吻结尾，重申你的目标，按照你所申请学校的预期要求撰写。
个人陈述是"头重"的文件格式，因此，你文章的结束部分不应有戏剧性的部分，如果你文章 的主体末尾已经很具说服力，则不用写上结束段落，若你打算写个结束语，确信不要重复你的介绍性部分，重申你的目标和动机是可取的，你必须以某种方式给读者 留下持续的印象。
7.优秀范文欣赏：
Personal Statement
Applied Program: Advertising
Among the 26 English alphabets, the one I like most is the capitalized D because this alphabet, simple as it is, is the most beautiful one. The two strokes, one vertical line and one curve, adumbrate two totally divergent trajectories as if serving as constant indicator of the psyche of the professionals in the advertising industry: to travel from one point to another, there is an infinite number of routes to choose; but ultimately speaking, there are only two routes: one is along a straight line, the other along a curve. While the general public may opt for the first, advertising professionals should decide on the second. A curved trajectory may well enable one to expand his horizon, enrich his experience of life, and cultivate his capability for excellent interpersonal exchange and communication. I maintain the conviction that the longer the journey of life that one travels, the richer the experience one can derive from life and hence the greater the novelty that he can create out of the apparently commonplace.
In 1998, I entered XX University with remarkable performance at the National College Entrance Examination (among the top 10 percent of the participants majoring in Humanities Disciplines). During the first year of my undergraduate studies, I majored in International Law but it immediately dawned on me that I was not meant for studies in this field and my real interest lied in advertising. Therefore, with extra efforts I audited all the major courses in advertising and in the second year, with a solid command of all the theoretical knowledge of the basic courses, I transferred to Advertising Speciality. Once I embarked on studying what really interested me, I made rapid progress and my GPA reached 3.5 (among the top three for 26 students of my class). In addition, I achieved the highest score of the class in four most important courses in the field: History of Chinese and Foreign Advertising, Principles of Advertising, Advertisement Planning, and Mass Communication.
As I delved deeper into my subject, I came to acquire an increasingly profound understanding of the nature of advertising. As a matter of fact, advertising is an art of persuasion, concerned with how the advertiser can influence the behavior and value orientation of the general public with his individually unique mentality and perspective. It is an integral branch of mass communication, inextricably intertwined with both art and economics. At the same time, it requires a framework of scientific management. In the course of my studies, I learned to exploit another form of language, my advertising designs, to conduct dialogues with my audience and to convey through those work my ideas and perceptions in order to achieve the objective of affecting the recipients' psychology and conduct and realizing the value of communication. But I ventured beyond the mere designing of individual advertisements. I also attempted at a series of coordination work that included the planning, execution, solution and effect of advertising. This process helped me to perfect my framework of theoretical conceptions concerning such notions as personal communication, interpersonal communication and mass communication. I immersed myself in a wide variety of advertising courses. By studying advertising, I could feel the joy of thinking and the charm of knowledge.
Advertising is an art more to be practiced than theorized. For my extra-curricular practice, I worked part-time for the WuHan Silver-Horse Advertising Corporation, an advertising agency which enjoys very prestigious reputation in and around WuHan. After being subjected to the most rigorous screening test, I was recruited as one of the five undergraduate students from my university and worked on several projects under the direct leadership of the chief supervisor of the Planning Department. On account of my distinctive notion and original creativity, my design for an advertisement for an automobile maintenance center was adopted, a fact which adequately evinces my professional qualities and tremendous potential. Later, with strong recommendations from my teacher, I worked at a medium-size advertising company in Beijing, responsible for the advertising agent business in the magazine Global Weekly. With the company's support, I participated in a number of designing contests ranging from the 10th Golden Calf Advertising Contest sponsored by the Taiwan's China Times, the 2nd Academy Advertising Competition sponsored by China Advertising Association to the Annual CAC Public Welfare Advertising Competition sponsored by the publishing house of International Advertising Magazine. My participation in those events not only brought me important awards but also enabled me to derive much professional knowledge from the exchange and cooperation with other staff, apart from enhancing my hands-on ability and practical problem-solving skills.
I took part consecutively in two authoritative Competitions for Young Advertisers, which aroused my attention to the discrepancies in the advertising level and the advertising consciousness between Taiwan and mainland China as well as the disparity in the advertising management. In order to call the serious attention of China's advertising industry to those problems, I published a full-length academic paper entitled On the Eve of WTO Accession: A Perspective on the Present Conditions of Advertising Management on Mainland China on the website of China Advertising Communication and Research (this website is launched by XiaMen University, the first university in China to have established an Advertising Department and which enjoys a very high academic prestige).
Historically speaking, China's advertising industry can only be described as underdeveloped compared with that of the advanced Western countries. Although China's advertising industry is achieving remarkable development around the turn of the century, challenges and obstacles are equally serious. For instance, the relationship between the client, the media and the advertising company has not been properly established. The advertising agent system and the relevant legal regulations of advertising are not fully developed. The awareness of self-discipline is weak within this profession and a sound system of social supervision over unlawful advertising practices is lacking.
With China's immediate accession into WTO, China's overall advertising industry will face severe challenges presented by major international advertising agencies. On the other hand, China promises a bright and alluring prospect in advertising industry as China has the largest advertising market among the developing countries. The profit of the advertising industry maintains an annual growth rate of 39.73. Such a growth momentum is sufficient to indicate the tremendous dimension and the exciting prospect of China's future advertising industry. This situation necessarily calls for the emergence of a large number of highly qualified advertising professionals, especially those who can incorporate both their intimate knowledge of China's domestic advertising market and international advertising background.
It is precisely against this backdrop that I, equipped with a solid groundwork (at once theoretical and empirical) in the field of advertising acquired from my undergraduate education, wish to apply for a graduate program. My motivation is fairly simple: only the United States, a country with the most unparalleled development in advertising industry and the most prestigious institutions of higher learning in mass communication of which advertising is a part, can offer the necessary environment in which I can mature toward my professional goals.
Now that I have charted my course of action, I am on the verge of proceeding from one point of my life to another point. To return to my metaphor of the alphabet D, I have decided to relinquish the effortless straight line in favor of the beautiful curve, for I believe that whatever the turns and twists alongside it, it will ultimately lead to my prescribed ideal. The profound truth inherent in it has already been given the most poetical pronunciation by the poet Robert Frost at the conclusion of his The Road Not Taken: Two roads diverged in the wood, and I - / I took the one less traveled by / And that has made all the difference.
Recommendation Letter
Dear Sir or Madam:
The Advertisement Department of XX University's News and Broadcasting Institute is the third department in China that offers courses concerning advertisement for undergraduate students. As the dean and professor of the department, I am quite willing to recommend to you my student, Mr.Purcell, to study advertisement in your postgraduate school.
He was admitted into the law school of our university to study international laws in 1998 with excellent scored, and was in the same class with my daughter. He was energetic and elected as the monitor of the class due to his strong leadership and organizing capability, and his performance as a monitor was approved and praised by his classmates and teachers. His interests covered a variety of subjects, and this wide interest and curiousness had brought him into contact with advertising, a subject that gave him profound fascination and he finally made up his mind to devote all this life to this field. In a self-recommendation letter directed to me, he expressed his strong wish to be transferred from the law school to our department to study advertisement, and I had pictured in the letter a thoughtful and goal-directed young man and a life he planned for himself. After that I came to know him gradually and discovered that he really had keen perceptions to both life and learning, and was quite gifted for studying advertisement, and I was quite happy to accept him as a new member in our department. In China, changing major is rather difficult, less than one percent of the students in XX University successfully changed their majors each year. But Mr.Purcell had undergone all by himself the numerous and complicated procedures for the changing of his major and completed this turning point of his life, I admire him for his perseverance and the pursuit of his dream.
After the transfer, he was quick in catching up with his fellow students in academic learning, and soon revealed his strength in the study of advertisement and the professors all praised him highly. In the fall semester in 2000, I attended the (------) planned and organized by him, the activity further indicated his extraordinary organizing ability and I witnessed the growth and progress he made in his specialty studies. The article he published in (------) University really surprised me for his clear and penetrating analysis of the advertising administrative situation in China, it is rare for an undergraduate student to have such profound understandings. I still remember that during the award giving ceremony for the 3rd Broadcast Public Welfare Advertising Competition, I felt a strong sense of pride for my decision in accepting him into our department when he took the medal and prize from my hands.
I originally thought to let him stay in our department and continue to study advertisement for a master degree, but anyway I respect his choice to go to the United States and study advertisement in your country, I stand on his side in realizing his lifelong plans. I hope that your university to offer this excellent student an opportunity to continue his quest for knowledge and fulfill his dreams.
Yours Sincerely